Open-source project Tldraw announces suspension of accepting external contributions due to overwhelming AI-generated junk code. Such “AI Slop” severely drains maintainers’ energy, and the community is exploring the establishment of reputation systems or escrow mechanisms to address this issue.
Overwhelmed by AI-generated content, open-source project Tldraw suspends external PRs
A popular open-source web drawing project on GitHub with over 40,000 stars, Tldraw, recently announced that it will suspend accepting pull requests (PRs) from external contributors.
Developer steveruizok pointed out that, like many open-source projects on GitHub, the team has recently observed a significant increase in contributions generated entirely by AI tools. Although some submissions are correct in form, most lack complete context, misunderstand the codebase, and the submitters rarely participate in discussions afterward.
steveruizok emphasized that an open PR represents a commitment from maintainers, meaning the contribution will be carefully reviewed and seriously considered for inclusion. To keep this promise meaningful, the team must implement stricter filtering.
Currently, Tldraw’s policy is to close all external PRs first, only reopening those that are genuinely considered. This is in the best interest of the project and code quality. Although it’s regrettable to close public contributions, steveruizok stated that they will only consider reopening once GitHub introduces better management tools.
Curl and OCaml also affected, AI Slop rampant
The decision to suspend pull requests at Tldraw is just one recent example of AI Slop (AI garbage) impacting the open-source community. Similar discussions have been heating up on Reddit and Hacker News forums.
A Reddit discussion pointed out that, Daniel Stenberg, maintainer of the well-known transfer tool Curl, revealed that the project is suffering from AI-generated erroneous reports being used in a “DDoS attack.” Approximately 20% of submissions in 2025 are AI garbage content, severely consuming volunteer maintainers’ time.
Additionally, OCaml maintainers have rejected a 13,000-line pull request generated by AI, citing that reviewing AI-produced code is more laborious than manually written code, and a flood of low-quality PRs could lead to system crashes.
Discussions on Hacker News focus on issues with GitHub’s mechanisms.
Some users believe that making PR counts prominent on the page encourages a culture of submitting for the sake of data.
The current dilemma with generative AI in open-source communities stems from many inexperienced developers using AI tools to generate worthless code, expecting maintainers to merge quickly. This behavior is damaging the collaborative trust within open-source communities.
Possible solutions: whitelist or reputation systems
In response to the harassment of garbage code (Shitcode) in open-source communities, Bitcoin developer Bryan Bishop (kanzure) responded on Tldraw’s GitHub page that he had proposed to the Bitcoin Core development team to “privatize” the development process, shifting to a model limited to invited members or requiring whitelist inclusion to post comments and PRs.
Although this might violate the spirit of Bitcoin’s openness, Bryan Bishop believes that it can effectively reduce noise and useless debates caused by non-contributors, allowing developers to focus on the technical aspects and prevent valuable attention from being diverted by malicious or invalid interactions.
Besides privatization, software engineer Steve Rodrigue also suggests establishing cross-project contributor reputation systems, verifying account value through trust networks.
Another developer is working on a blockchain-based “Stake-to-PR” protocol, requiring submitters to pay a small deposit, which is forfeited if the content is deemed AI garbage, and fully refunded if it is a valid contribution. The goal is to raise the barrier to curb AI abuse.
Further reading:
AI content flood! Web3 Dictionary names “Slop” as the 2025 Word of the Year, sparking heated discussions in the tech community
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
When even I cannot prove that I'm not an AI, forensic experts recommend: set up a secret code with family and friends.
BBC reporter Thomas Germain's experiment shows that AI deepfake technology is now difficult to distinguish, with digital forensics expert Hany Farid claiming it's "finished." Even when experts verify a video's authenticity, people may still doubt it. As AI fraud cases surge, especially in crypto markets, the cost of verifying authenticity is high, while creating doubt has become low-cost. Ultimately, the recommendation is to return to old methods: using cryptographic signatures to enhance trust.
動區BlockTempo30m ago
Distributed Shenbo: Set Bounty to Recover Approximately $42 Million Stolen Three Years Ago
Shen Bo, founder of Distributed Capital, had his personal wallet compromised in November 2022, resulting in losses of approximately $42 million. After three years of tracking, the team has obtained key leads and is publicly soliciting information from those who can provide clues, offering rewards of 10%-20% based on contributions. Approximately $1.2 million in assets has been frozen so far, and the team has expressed gratitude to individuals and teams who have continuously provided assistance.
BlockBeatNews1h ago
Distributed Capital Founder Bo Shen: Lost $42 Million from Personal Wallet Theft in 2022, Now Offering 10%-20% Bounty for Information
Distributed Capital founder Bo Shen recently publicly solicited leads regarding the theft of his personal wallet and established a bounty mechanism. His wallet was compromised in November 2022, resulting in losses of approximately $42 million. The bounty program is open to all individuals and institutions, with reward ratios of 10%-20% of recovered funds.
GateNews2h ago
Google Sets 2029 Target for Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration, Six Years Ahead of Government Goal, Crypto Industry Must Keep Pace
Google announced 2029 as the deadline for completing post-quantum cryptography migration across all products, six years ahead of the U.S. government's 2035 target. Quantum computing poses a threat to current cryptographic methods, with major blockchains adopting different response strategies. The Bitcoin community holds divided views on the risks, while Ethereum plans to provide corresponding protections by 2029. Time is tight, and industry action needs to accelerate.
動區BlockTempo2h ago
Polymarket Suspected Insider Trading: 6 "Mystery Wallets" Bet on US-Iran Ceasefire
Recently, six wallets on Polymarket precisely built positions before the U.S. attack on Iran and profited $1.2 million, then continued betting on Iranian nuclear facilities, and later coordinated a $100,000 bet predicting a U.S.-Iran ceasefire. This series of transactions has raised market concerns about information advantages and highlighted a trust crisis in prediction markets. Changes in market participant behavior reflect worries about insider trading, and the conflict between transparency and anonymity makes it difficult to trace responsibility.
MarketWhisper2h ago
Resolv Foundation suspends Season 4 airdrop claims and RESOLV token staking functions
Gate News: On March 25, Resolv Foundation announced that due to recent security incidents involving Resolv Labs' stablecoin USR, both the protocol and applications have been suspended. Season 4 airdrop claiming functionality is temporarily unavailable, and staking and unstaking functions for RESOLV tokens are also temporarily unavailable. Once the protocol recovery plan is finalized and the application can be safely used again, the relevant functions will be restored.
GateNews14h ago
